Veritas House calls on potential foster carers to meet demand

Operations manager of the youth services organisation, Joel Palmer, said a wide range of carers were needed including respite, emergency, long-term, extended family or kin, guardianship and adoptive parents.

"We urgently need local families and individuals to put up their hand and say 'I can help a little one' because these children deserve to feel special and worthy and loved," he said.

Mr Palmer said foster carers play a critical role in assisting young people to grow and develop in a happy and healthy way, often working with families to support the kids to return home safely.

"We would encourage anyone who has ever considered the idea of becoming a foster carer to attend the information session and find out more. There is absolutely no obligation to become a carer if you attend, but we're hoping to dispel some of the myths that exist about foster caring, explain what is involved in becoming authorised and the supports that Veritas provides to our carers."

Mr Palmer said there are around 80 children currently in foster care through Veritas in Orange and Bathurst.

"Children and young people are taken into out-of-home care through no fault of their own," he said.

"Often it is because they have been abused, neglected or abandoned by the people who were supposed to care for them; and often the parents have experienced the same trauma themselves."

According to Veritas, the number of children and young people who entered out-of-home care increased from 10,000 in 2006 to 18,000 in 2016.

While the number of entries into care between 2015-16 and 2017-18 declined, there were still more than 2100 children and young people admitted into care in NSW in 2017-18.

To become an authorised foster carer with Veritas, carers must be over 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, in good health and meet probity requirements including a Working with Children Check.

Carers can be single, married, in a de-facto or in a same-sex relationship.

The Information session will be held from 5.30pm at the Veritas House offices at 29-31 Sale Street, Orange and is expected to run for approximately 30 minutes. For more information or to register to attend, contact Bridget Tracy on 6332 3882.